Bonnie’s Design Dilemma

Bonnie’s ready to give her living room a light and beachy look with a dose of glam worked in. Here’s her letter:

I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have your help. We’re looking for a beach inspired space with touches of glam. I love crystal, mirror and silver. The only pieces I really want to stay are the two Pier 1 side chairs. The cream leather sofa can stay or go, as I believe I am drawn to slip-covered white sofas more (but if you can work in the sofa, that’s fine). We need a new rug, and I like sisal and jute. We are open to anything really! We are having our wood floors sanded and varnished (not stained) so in a couple of months they’ll be a much lighter color. We love blues and greens, and color combos like turquoise and teal. I would like a new neutral wall color that I can carry throughout the whole first floor. I am at a loss when it comes to curtains because we need privacy and I don’t know what to do with those tiny windows by the fireplace. I like the mix of curtains & woven blinds like you have in your own living room. We will need a stand for a new flatscreen TV along with new lighting, end tables, and a coffee table. Maybe something with a little storage? We also like white furniture, and I’m open to mixing white with wood. All of the current art can be relocated, and I desperately need something pretty for over the fireplace. Thank you so much for your help! -Bonnie

Here’s the plan:

And here’s the new layout suggestion:

Now for the mood board breakdown.

1. Our color palette will be airy and light with all of the beachy glam hues that Bonnie loves. Chocolate furnishings will layer in with tans and creams and natural jute tones and then we’ll pepper in some pops of turquoise, aqua, moody gray-blue and ample amounts of crisp clean white to keep things breezy and inviting. When it comes to the walls, Bonnie requested a soft neutral that she can carry through other areas of her house and we think that Benjamin Moore’s Ashen Tan (996) is the perfect choice (with crisp white trim and doors of course).

2. We’d love to see framed in a simple clean lined white frame leaning against the wall above the TV thanks to this that will look nice and light above the wooden media stand and new flatscreen (Bonnie should hang it just about 6″ above the top of the TV so it doesn’t look like it’s riding too high). Adding two of these (the big one on one side of the print and the smaller one on the other side) will add more interest and dimension to the shelf while injecting more of that beachy and blue vibe that Bonnie loves.

3. This gorgeous velvet-esque will instantly add tons of stash space to Bonnie’s room while grounding the sofa and connecting it to the armchairs across the room so there’s no more big-empty-rug syndrome going on. We also love that the legs tie in with the finish on the armchairs, the media stand and the end tables that we’ll be bringing in for a nice layered cohesion that feels related but not too matchy-matchy.

4. When it comes to the windows, we think long from Ikea paired with bamboo blinds (we got ours from Walmart but have also seen them at Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s) are the perfect combo for the large picture window in Bonnie’s house. We actually have the same exact treatments on our living room window (which happens to be located behind a big cream sofa) and they add so much softness, texture and beachy elegance (all without breaking the bank). Bonnie mentioned that she needed privacy so she can raise and lower the bamboo blinds for that- and when it comes to the two smaller windows that flank the fireplace, just hanging the bamboo blinds (outside mounted as high as the curtains and blinds above the sofa) will add balance and more of that warm texture- skipping the panels on those windows makes the most sense because they might crowd the fireplace and Bonnie will have something nice and interesting under each window anyway- stay tuned for those details…

5. We’d love to see these gorgeous and sculptural flanking the sofa (which have a nice little drawer for more concealed storage) along with these pretty from Crate & Barrel to add more of that blue accent color that Bonnie loves (and a ton of balance and elegance to the wall with the sofa).

6. This 6 x 9′ hand woven is perfect for the room (and also a total steal for the size). It’ll really help to ground the sofa and the ottoman along with those two armchairs to create a cozy seating area that floats in the middle of the room and beckons people to come in and relax after a long day. We actually have a similar braided jute rug in our den and we’re happy to report that it has held up for four years (even while we potty trained our pup) so it’s a great material when it comes to durability and stain-hiding ability). Plus it’s the fastest way to inject that light and airy ambiance that Bonnie craves.

7. We love the idea of (on sale!) above the fireplace to reflect lots of light, and add endless texture and interest. It actually comes in a black finish but Bonnie can easily paint it a moody gray-blue (like Benjamin Moore’s Beach Glass 1564). Here’s a post all about how we recently painted a cutout mirror for reference. It’s really going to be a showstopper.

8. Two of these will look great when paired with Bonnie’s woven armchairs to provide a dash of glam to those beachy textured seats. And an extra glamorous white faux fur or flokati pillow (like ) on each of those chairs is all they need to further tie into those gleaming side tables and really make their beach cottage texture work with the more modern and glam side tables. And tossing this (on clearance) on the sofa along with a two more of these (and two of for pattern and color) will finish off the cream sofa perfectly with a nice balance of beachy and glam.

As for the above the mirrored table in the mood board, we’d love to see that atop the ottoman with a few beachy accents in it. And we can already picture the that are shown to the bottom right of the mirrored table placed on the left side of the mantel (without anything else on the mantel at all) for a nice casual asymmetrical arrangement that will still feel balanced thanks to the gorgeous mirror above it.

9. This handsome and clean-lined will look great with the new flatscreen TV that Bonnie will be bringing in, especially when placed under the white floating shelf that will showcase that shell art and those two pieces of blue coral that we mentioned above.

10. As sort of extra credit (to add even more layered interest and tons of concealed storage space), Bonnie could introduce one of these gleaming (on clearance!) to either side of her fireplace under each window to fill out that wall and bring even more textural detail and added architecture to the entire room. We’d love to see them each topped with a short stack of pretty hardcover books (perhaps even with turquoise, tan and chocolate spines) with a large shell popped on top of each pile for that effortless beachy vibe.

So there you have it. A living room full of chic ocean-inspired style with a splash of glam in there too.

Update: We sadly can no longer find the time to take on client commissioned mood boards (and just whip up general inspiration boards instead) but if we ever reinstate them we’ll make a big announcement!

Comments

Love these ideas! What Bonnie describes in her letter is exactly what we just did to our den and dining room! We got all new furniture, curtains, accessories, etc., and our focus was to have a coastal influence without looking like a beach house out of place. We used a lot of aqua and tan and a very similar piece of aqua coral that you suggest. (Lots of photos are on our blog, if you’re interested.) And the funny thing is that the Pier 1 chair she wants to keep is the exact same one we’re about to buy for another room we’re redoing!

I have a question about the two smaller windows. I have four like that in my bedroom, two vertical and two horizontal on opposite ends of the bedroom. Not to mention french doors and a large three panneled window. So my quesiton would be how would hanging bamboo blinds outside of the windows like you mentioned above work in my room? Wouldn’t that seem too much and too heavy? I can’t picture bamboo blinds on the outside of the window for this room yet either. Am I missing something?
Thanks!

You could go for light airy white roman shades instead of bamboo blinds for a nice soft bedroom look. Check out the one we have on one window in our bedroom (click the House Tour tab under our header). And to better picture what bamboo blinds will look like in Bonnie’s room, check out our den in the same House Tour section). Hope it helps!

We actually do get after pics from a bunch of our clients (check out our Portfolio page for some of them, or search “design dilemma: solved” in our search box to see even more). In fact we have some after pics from another mood board makeover that we’ll be sharing tomorrow so stay tuned!

LOVE this one, great job YHL! Question – I’d like to do a similar beachy vibe in our living room, but the 2 main pieces of furniture that have to stay are a heavy, dark brown leather sofa & chair (IKEA Ektorp). Can I still pull it off?

I love the mirror. Do you have a rule of thumb to go by regarding the proportion of the fireplace/hearth and size of the mirror? I’ve been searching for just the right mirror and I love the one you show here. Thanks!

Good question! We have found that there aren’t really right or wrong size rules when it comes to mirrors above the hearth other than just to trust your eye. If something is chunky but small it can look a bit too mini (so trust your instincts if you step back and it looks too small) but sometimes something airier that’s just as small can seem to float in the space above the mantel and look great. And by the same token, sometimes something chunky and oversized can look top heavy but the same sized mirror in a lighter material or with a less hulking frame could look perfect. Just try hanging something there and see how you like it!

Joann’s has a new line of beachy stuff that I noticed last week. They had some clear glass bowls in the shape of a starfish, which were pretty.

The best thing they had, that I’m going to try to duplicate, is a three section picture frame (horizontal) – the frame was a pretty blue, while a shell was glued on the glass of each and painted silver (both shell and glass). Really great!

Also, you could laminate some rice paper to make one of those capiz lights.

I’m so glad I purchased 2 of the blue lights last night @ C+B before you posted this, I know they’ll go quick.
Based on Blayne’s redesign I also picked up her rug on Craigslist for just $100!
And the mirror you have here will be a great fit in our new house; moving in 2 weeks. I’ll be sure to send in the pics. You’ve provided tons of inspiration not just in this one room, but in many! Thank you.

This room has great bones to start with, so all the accessories will really make the room. I want those mirrored side tables… they totally give that glam look Bonnie was wanting. And the idea for artwork/shelf above the TV is a great way to divert eyes from the black hole (i.e. flatscreen) of the room. Can’t wait to see how it turns out!

Love the ottoman from Target. The Target site states that it is “Pewter”. My screen shows it as more of a brown color. Do you know what shade it really is? Thanks for all the great ideas on your site –

Pewter usually means that it’s sort of a taupey-gray color so it’s not gray or stone colored but it’s not tan or brown- somewhere in the middle. Since it’s a velvet-like fabric it has sort of a sheen that usually allows it to reflect a lot of other colors in a space, so it should fit in with many other tones in a room. Hope it helps!

I love the makeover…I love seeing each of these you guys do. I was over on The Lettered Cottage blog today, and she has a picture of a mantel with two tiny windows on each side. I believe they have bamboo blinds over them. Kinda ironic!?

It just depends on the backing of the rug and the surface you put them on. On wall to wall carpeting a rug pad isn’t usually necessary and some jute rugs on hardwood floors don’t even need them since they have a grippy rubber backing (but most call for a little something to limit slippage). Hope it helps!

You commented on not needing a rug pad under a jute rug on wall to wall carpeting… do you think a jute rug would look good on wall to wall?

Unfortunately I don’t think our current apartment could really fit a rug (I think it’s too small to have a rug, it would end up too cluttered looking), but I’d love your opinion! I love the look of jute rugs but doubted if it would look good on carpet.

Yes! We love rugs over wall to wall carpet. Any seating area that floats in a space (which is often how they look best, even in small rooms) needs something to ground and define just that area- so a rug over a carpet (be it jute, wool, or anything really!) often looks fantastic. Go for it!

I swear I’ve seen the same exact lamps you picked out on the mood board that are retailing at Crate and Barrel for $89 at my local Christmas Tree Store in Hartsdale, NY for $10-15 dollars. They had them in blue and green. I would think they were the same!

I’m thinking of getting a jute rug for under our kitchen table but have concerns about how it feels on bare feet as a few other people here have mentioned. So now I’m stuck between getting either a jute or a sisal rug. What is the difference between jute and sisal? Is one softer? One more durable?

It’s totally personal preference but we love natural fiber rugs so much that we have one in the kitchen, one in the den, and one in the bedroom (we even used to have a forth one in the third bedroom before we converted that space into a nursery). If you’re unsure of how they’ll feel just check them out them in person since each manufacturer can make them differently (some are super soft- like the braided jute rug in the den- while others are harder and firmer, like a woven mat in an island hut – which can still be romantic and lovely depending on what you like). Both jute and sisal can be softer or harder than the other, again depending on how they’re made and how the materials are processed, so it’s just about finding the one you like best. Hope it helps!